Apparatus for transmitting power



Jan. 3, 1933.

E. M. HIRSH ET AL APPARATUS FOR TRANSMITTING POWER Filed April 15, 1931 fivelzliors: dgazM H 1870 4% ronze .DAlZaZZC Patented Jan. 3, 1933 i UNITED S TES PAT-Eur OFFICE I nnean'mqmnsn A'ND meow;- n; nnNnnLE'r, or ILVER" syn-me, MARYLAND Ammna'rns Eon 'rimnsmrrrme POWER 7 Application men April 15,

Our invention relates to. apparatus for transmitting power, and it has particular relation to apparatus whereby'power may be transmitted to a rotating shaft either through a direct drive or'through an overrunning clutch.

Our invention is .particularly adapted for utilization in vehicles wherein a source of power drives the vehicle through a rotating shaft. In. such vehicles, it is desirable to provide a device for automatically disconnecting the source of power from the shaft when the shafttendsto return power to the source, and .toassociate with the device means operable at will to prevent the disconnection. Devices heretofore proposed-for this purpose have materially added to the parts required and have complicated the..assembly of the machine. a s

It is accordingly an object of our invention to provide an improved apparatus for permitting a drivenshaft toxautomatically overrun adriving shaft.

It is another object of our invention to provide a universal coupling having parts relatively movable for'actuating an associated clutch device.-

It is anotherobject of our invention to provide an improved device for optionally providing either fixed or overrunning drive.

It is another objectof our invention to provide an overrunning drive-for a vehicle which i adds a minimum f parts to the vehicle. p i

It is another object of our invention to provide an apparatus wherein anoverrunning clutch. device is combined with a universalcoupling; V

It'iis a further'and more specific object of our-invention to provide an apparatus Wherein" a device for optionally providing either fixedoroverrunning drive is combined with a universal coupling having parts relatively movable to permit selection of either fixed or overrunning drive.

Other objects of'our invention will' be apparent from the following detailed description; taken in conjunction with the companying drawing, in which- W A her 6, and adapted to engage a plurality of 1931. serial'lvo. 530,391. r

Figure 1' is a sectional view of one form of our invention; i v Fig. 2 is a sectional line AAfof Fig. 1; I I Fig. 3 is an end view of the'apparatus sheiwn in Fig. 1 with certainparts removed; an k .7 p 7 Fig. 4 is av detail end view of one member of the overrunning clutch; I Y Referring to the drawing in detail, the ap- 6O paratus shown in Fig. l'comprises a device 1 designed in accordance with our invention and associated with a transmission unit 2. and a driven shaft 3. Since the driven shaft of a modern'vehicle terminates adj acent the transmission unit in a universal coupling, we find it convenient to insert between the'transmission and vpropeller shaft a device designed in accordance with our invention. 7 :A coupling plate 4,-which is mounted on the shaft 4;, and which heretofore has been coupled to a'universaljoint, is rigidly attached by any suitable means such as machine screws 5 to a cups haped member 6 provided with a recess? havinga cylindrical inner 5 surface -8. Asecond member 9hasa cylindrical portion lOrOt'atably. mounted within the recess 7 of the member 6. The periphery of this, portionlO isprovided with a pluralityof recesses 11 havingflsurfaces 12 inclined-with reference to the surface 8 as may be clearly. seen upon.) reference to Fig; '2. Each of these recesses 11 contains a roller 13 whichis adapted to roll up the inclined sur- View taken along the faceinto forced engagement with the member6 when the member rotates in the direction of the arrow with reference to the por-' tion 10. .The s-tructure'thus far described conforms toa, well-known type of overrunningclutch. v

Although the portion 10 mayform a suitable bearing contact with the member 6, we 7 provide an additional bearing member 14: rotatablymou'nted within a recess 15 formed in the member. 6. A suitable means is employed for locking the members 6 and 9 together, which, in the formillustrated, comprises a plurality of lugs 16 projecting from a surface of the memlugs 18 aflixed to the member 9. These sets of lugs are normally kept out of engagement by I with a control rod 22, which may be actus ated by a foot lever 22 to force the sets of lugs into engagement without restrictingrotation of the member 9.

' The coupling between the shaft 3 and the device 1 is obtained by forming a cylindrical recess 23 in the member 9; The recess terminates in a spherical seat 24, andhas a. plurality ofslots 25 extending into the member 9. This recess is designed tosnugly and rotatably house a spherical member 26 aflixed to the shaft 3. The member 26 is provided with a plurality of lugs 27, which may be formed by passing a pin through the member, and which extend into the slots 25; The members 9 and26 constitute'what is termed a ball and pin universal coupling, whereby rotation may be flexibly imparted by the member 9 to the shaft'3.- From the above description, it is apparent that the lugs of the member 9 may be moved'into engagement with the lugs l6 of themember 6 upon actuation of the rod 22 without causing withdrawal of the lugs 27 of the shaft 3 from the slots 25 of the member 9, sufficient slot length being provided for the resultant relative movement of the lugs 27 a f If desired,a ring-shaped sealing member 28 may be attached by screws 29 to the member 6, and snugly but rotatably'fitted around a cylindrical section 30 of the member 9 to exclude extraneous matter from the clutch mechanism, and to retain any lubricant required for the clutch mechanism. a A similar sealing member 28 is provided on therear end of the member 9, and may flex or otherwise accommodate said movement between the members9 and 26.

V The operation of theabove described apparatus may beset forth as follows. During normal forward operation of the vehicle, the apparatus is in the position illustrated in Fig. 1. The member 6 is driven through the transmission unit by the vehicles source of power, and as long as the speed of the mem her 6 tends to become greater than that of the member 9 in the direction of the arrow, the clutch mechanism is effective to transmit power between these members. 7

When the speed of the member 9 tends to increase above that of the member 6, which may occur when the vehicle descends a grade,

the rollers of the clutch mechanism are driven main coupled.

thereby securing direct drive. It should be noted that regardless of the position of the member 9, the universal joint members re- From the foregoing description, it is apparent that our'inv'ention may be readily applied tothe existing forms of vehicles without material: alteration thereof. f It. is also clear that very few additional parts are required inthe' installation of a free wheeling device constructed according to our invenf tion. "'l

Although we have shown-and described certain specific embodiments of our invention, we are fully aware that many modifications thereof are'possiblef Our invention, therefore, is not to be restricted except insofar as is necessitated by the prior art and by'fthe scope of the appended claims. v

What we claim is r 1, A power-transmission apparatus com prising afdriving member, a driven member for forming with said driving member a universal coupling,"a clutch device associated with said coupling, and means "responsive to relative movement between said members for converting said device into an ov'erru'nning clutch, 11 I T 2. A power-"trans'mission device'comprising a driving member, a driven member, an element associated with one of said members for forming therewitha universal C0117 pling, said ele-ment being movable substantiallyalong. its axis of rotation for apredetermined distance with reference to the associated member without loss' of coupling, means for a'ssociatingthe element in overrunning clutch relation with the other ofsaid members, and means reponsive to movement of the element along itsaxis of rotation for changing said overrunning clutch relation into a direct drive relation.

3. A power-transmission device comprising an overrunning clutch, a universal coupling associated therewith, the driving and drivenmemb'ersof the coupling beingimovable with reference to eachotherjforalpre determined distance along the 'axis' of rotation of one of the members, withoutloss of coupling, and means responsive to the relative movement" of the members for locking the element universally coupled tooneiof said members, means cooperating with said element and the other of said members forforming therewith an overrunning clutch, and means responsive to movement of said element for preventing the relative rotation between said members normally allowed by the clutch.

5; In a power-transmission device, a jaw coupling comprising a driving and a driven member, a plurality of rollers cooperating with said members for forming therewith an overrunning clutch when the coupling is dis engaged, and an element associated with one of said members for forming therewith a universal coupling, said element permitting axial movement of the associated member into or out of jaw engagement with the other of said members without loss of universal coupling.

6. A power transmission device for a motor vehicle comprising an overrunning clutch including a driving member and a driven member, a shaft terminating in a recess provided in one of the members, a pin cooperating with the shaft and recessed member for forming therewith a universal coupling, said recessed member being provided with elongated slots for receiving said pin and permitting a predetermined movement of the recessed member along its axis of rotation without loss of coupling, and a plurality of lugs on one of said members receivable in a plurality of corresponding recesses proVid-' ed in the other of said members when the recessed member is axially moved for preventing relative rotation between the members. 1

In testimony-whereof we afiix our signatures.

EDGAR M. HIRSH. JEROME H. DAND'ELET. 

